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www.HFRP.org

The Harvard Family Research Project separated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education to become the Global Family Research Project as of January 1, 2017. It is no longer affiliated with Harvard University.

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Parental Involvement and Student Achievement: A Meta-Analysis

This meta-analysis of parent involvement research brings together the results of 77 recent studies. Jeynes shows that parent involvement has an overall positive effect on student achievement and that the largest effects are associated with parental expectations.

William H. Jeynes (December 2005) Research Report

Free. Available online only.

Parental Involvement in Homework: A Review of Current Research and Its Implications for Teachers, After School Program Staff, and Parent Leaders

Parents often become involved in their children's education through homework. In 2001 research on parental involvement in children's homework was conducted (Hoover-Dempsey et al., 2001). The review focused on understanding why parents become involved in their children's homework, what strategies they employ, and how involvement contributes to student learning. In this paper, findings from the 2001 review suggest several ways in which schools can invite parents' involvement in homework.

Joan M. T. Walker , Kathleen V. Hoover-Dempsey, Darlene R. Whetsel, Christa L. Green (October 2004) Research Report

Free. Available online only.

Parents and Teachers Together: Creating Schools Our Children Deserve

This course provides an opportunity for students to reflect on and answer some of the following question: Why do parents and teachers both feel frustrated and powerless to meet the needs of today's students? In this class we will consider the power inequities inherent in schools today. In this class we will consider the power inequities inherent in schools today. We will focus not only on present problems in schools, but on reviewing innovative initiatives and models around the country that give a louder voice to teachers and parents on behalf of children.

Dana McDermott (Winter 2004) Syllabus

Free. Available online only.

Parents and Their Developing Children

This is a course about parent involvement and the relationship between homes, schools, and communities. Content is organized around how the home, family, and school influences the growth, development, and education of younger children. Students will learn how schools relate to parents and will acquire knowledge and skills to implement excellent parent involvement programs.

Jerold P. Bauch () Syllabus

Free. Available online only.

Parents as Agents of Change

In this Leading the Field profile, Sandra Gutierrez, national director of the Latino family-focused Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors program, shares her vision of how families are fundamental to transforming the lives of our children and our communities. [Este artículo también está disponible en español como Padres de Familia como Agentes de Cambio.]

Sandra Gutierrez (September 17, 2013) Research Report

Parents Come to Kindergarten: A Unique Junior Kindergarten Program for Four Year Olds and Their Families

A preschool parenting and readiness program in Canada results in higher school readiness among program children and families, as well as family readiness among teachers.

Janette Pelletier (November 2002) Research Report

Free. Available online only.

Parents Write Their Worlds: A Parent Involvement Program Bridging Urban Schools and Families

A participatory research project examines a school-based writing workshop in which parents write stories for a literary magazine that is circulated in the school and community.

Janise Hurtig (May 2004) Research Report

Free. Available online only.

Parents, Families, and Communities in Schools

This course examines effective methods for including parents, families, and communities in schools. Emphasizes a systems perspective that includes consultation and collaboration in addressing academic, career, and personal/social success for all students. Family dynamics and influences on school success will be addressed. Application of school counseling consultation, collaboration, and family support for all students will result in a school-based project integrated into a school's comprehensive counseling program. Essential professional practices addressed in this course.

Rolla E. Lewis (Spring 2003) Syllabus

Free. Available online only.

Parent–Teacher Conference Tip Sheets (Hojas de Consejos Para Las Reuniones de Padres y Maestros)

Even with technological advances that allow parents to track their child’s academic progress remotely, and more transparency in student data (such as test scores and attendance rates), face-to-face interaction between parents and teachers is still the cornerstone of school family engagement efforts. These newly revised tip sheets provide key strategies for both parents and teachers to walk into conferences informed and prepared, in order to ensure the most successful outcomes. A tip sheet aimed at school principals also outlines how school administrators can support parents and teachers to that end. Now available in Spanish, this tool is a powerful resource for families and educators alike.

Harvard Family Research Project (October 2010) Research Report

Participation in Youth Programs: Enrollment, Attendance, and Engagement

This is a special issue of New Directions for Youth Development journal edited by Heather B. Weiss, Priscilla M. D. Little, and Suzanne Bouffard, Vol. 2005, No. 105, Spring 2005. This issue unpacks the construct of participation in out-of-school time programming, posing a three-part equation: participation = enrollment + attendance + engagement.

Heather B. Weiss , Priscilla M. D. Little, Suzanne Bouffard (Spring 2005) Research Report

Participation Over Time: Keeping Youth Engaged from Middle School to High School

This article in Afterschool Matters discusses strategies used by OST programs with high rates of participation.

Sarah Deschenes , Priscilla Little, Jean Grossman, Amy Arbreton (January 2011) Research Report

Participatory Evaluation

This issue of The Evaluation Exchange, Harvard Family Research Project's quarterly evaluation periodical, explores participatory evaluation strategies. The issue introduces and examines the key ideas behind participatory approaches through the work of its practitioners and to indicate the wide range of fields where these approaches are being applied and tested.

Evaluation Exchange Issue

Partnering With Parents and Communities: Are Preservice Teachers Adequately Prepared?

This study examines how the topic of school, parent, and school partnerships are incorporated into preservice teacher education. Preservice teacher comfort levels with parent involvement is documented.

Carolyn B. Flanigan (May 2005) Research Report

Free. Available online only.

Partnerships for Learning: Community Support for Youth Success

In this paper, we draw on the experiences of national organizations and a set of community schools that have built learning partnerships, and examine seven key elements that we find to be essential in building them. Our paper serves as a guide to school districts and their partners as they consider whether and how to implement a partnerships for learning model. It also informs those who have already established these partnerships and wish to reflect on how to maximize partnership—and student—success.

Erin Harris , Shani Wilkes (January 2013) Research Report

Free. Available online only.

Partnerships for Learning: Promising Practices in Integrating School and Out-of-School Time Program Supports

This new report from HFRP is aimed to help out-of-school time (OST) program leaders, decision-makers, and funders to understand and implement effective OSTschool partnerships for learning.

Harvard Family Research Project (March 2010) Research Report

Paths to School Readiness

This report details three school-based programs to show what makes comprehensive family support programs thrive. Home visiting and parent education in Brattleboro, Vermont are featured, as is extended child care in Leadville, Colorado, and school-linked services in Gainesville, Florida.

M. Elena Lopez , Mona Hochberg (1993) Research Report

$10.95 . 115 Pages.

People, Power, and Change

Fulfilling the democratic promise of equity, inclusion, and accountability requires the participation of an “organized” citizenry with the power to articulate and assert its interests effectively. Organizing is one way to confront these challenges by revitalizing old democratic institutions and creating new ones. In this course, students learn how to engage with social, economic, and political problems from an organizer's perspective ... and how to act to solve them.

Marshall Ganz (Spring 2004) Syllabus

Free. Available online only.

Perceived Academic Support From Parents, Teachers, and Peers: Relation to Hong Kong Adolescents' Academic Behavior and Achievement

This study found that perceived academic support from teachers and parents contributes indirectly to the academic achievement of Hong Kong students.

Jennifer Jun-Li Chen (April 2005) Research Report

Free. Available online only.

Performance Measurement

This issue of The Evaluation Exchange, Harvard Family Research Project's quarterly evaluation periodical, investigates performance measurement. It presents articles on results-based accountability (RBA) that are both retrospective, looking at what we have learned about accountability over the years, as well as prospective, looking to the future of RBA.

Evaluation Exchange Issue

Performance Measures in Out-of-School Time Evaluation

This Snapshot outlines the academic, youth development, and prevention performance measures currently being used by out-of-school time programs to assess their progress, and the corresponding data sources for these measures.

Priscilla M. D. Little , Erin Harris, Suzanne Bouffard (March 2004) Research Report

Free. Available online only.

Perspectives: Guiding Families on Children’s Media Use

Three experts reflect on their work in engaging families in a digital learning environment. We asked them to address the question, How can institutions offer relevant and useful guidance to parents and families about scaffolding their children’s digital media use?

Harvard Family Research Project (April 24, 2014) Research Report

Philanthropy for Innovation: Promoting Family Engagement through Strategic Funding and Program Development

Helen Westmoreland, Director of Program Quality for the Flamboyan Foundation—a private family foundation focused on improving educational outcomes for children in Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico—discusses how foundations and funders can support the development of effective family engagement practices in all schools.

Helen Westmoreland (May 2011) Research Report

Pioneering States: Innovative Family Support and Education Programs

This volume discusses five initiatives that have successfully integrated family support and education programs into the larger social service system. Initiatives in Connecticut, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, and Missouri are covered.

Harvard Family Research Project (1992) Research Report

$6.00 . 36 Pages.

Pipe Cleaners and Popsicle Sticks: Making Ideas Visible

A modified human-centered design process inspires creativity, makes ideas visible, and keeps families’ experiences at the forefront in the transition to school.

Lorette McWilliams (December 2015) Research Report

Plus Time New Hampshire 3-Day Training Institute

Participation in out-of-school time programs is a key ingredient to achieving positive outcomes for young people. Priscilla Little presented two workshops, which provided overviews of key participation challenges: collecting meaningful attendance data and attracting and sustaining youth participation in OST programs.

Priscilla M. D. Little (July 27, 2004) Conferences and Presentations

Free. Available online only.

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Published by Harvard Family Research Project